ENTITY · CONCEPT
Custom-built, not off-the-shelf
Well supported
The ethos of building the rig from scratch rather than buying commercial PA, so cabinets, crossovers and often amplifiers are made or heavily modified in-house to a sound's own taste and budget.
At a glance
- Type
- concept
- Confidence
- Well supported
- Era
- Open era →
Connections
Debate & reception
How people argued about the music — praise, criticism and public debate. See all debate & reception →
debate
Hand-built cabinets or commercial pro-audio?
A documented debate over how a rig should be built, stated neutrally: one tradition insists the sound must be custom-built in-house, cabinets, crossovers and often amplifiers made or heavily modified to a crew's own taste; another view holds that modern commercial pro-audio delivers more reliable, measurable performance and that there is no shame in buying it. Neutral framing; no verdict. Sources: dub-stuy Sound Sculptors; The Reggae Museum anatomy notes; sound-system culture features.
Stance: custom hand-built cabinets and amps vs commercial off-the-shelf pro-audio